Root ROM Manager

[rveach]

So I just rooted my bionic and wanted to make a backup of the phone for just incase. I installed ROM Manager and installed CWRM and tried to do a backup of the current rom but it failed and rebooted the phone.Googling around, I found it is because the bootloader is locked and some sites recommend bootstrap, but "all things root" say bootstrap doesn't work with system version 98.72.22.

So my question is, should I just install safestrap then?If I do install it, do I have to reinstall CWRM or is safestrap all I need and ROM Manager will work?

Also out of curiosity, what is the difference between a ROM backup and a backup using "adb backup

 

[doogald]

Safestrap has backup. Do **NOT** install both Safestrap and Clockwork recovery - you can have only one bootstrapper installed, and, particularly if you want to install AOSP or CyanogenMod, you'll want Safestrap anyway.

So, yes, Safestrap is all that you will need. Just make sure to uninstall Clockwork Recovery and the bootstrapper that you already installed before you install Safestrap.

Safestrap is great in that it preserves the stock ROM and has you install custom ROMs in what they call ROM slots, which are just virtual partitions created on internal storage on the phone which Safestrap makes current for phone use. It's a lot safer that way - if you want to go back to stock, you activate the stock ROM, restart the phone, uninstall recovery for Safestrap and you're back to rooted stock, just as you left the phone before you flashed the custom ROM, and it happens in a matter of seconds.

If I am not mistaken, you cannot use ROM Manager to update any ROMs on the Bionic anyway.

 

[rveach]

So, yes, Safestrap is all that you will need. Just make sure to uninstall Clockwork Recovery and the bootstrapper that you already installed before you install Safestrap.

Ok.How do you uninstall CWRM? I installed it through the app "ROM Manager", but I don't see an option in it to uninstall it. Other than CWRM, I haven't installed any other bootstrapper.

 

[rveach]

Ok.How do you uninstall CWRM? I installed it through the app "ROM Manager", but I don't see an option in it to uninstall it. Other than CWRM, I haven't installed any other bootstrapper.

Any response to this question?
Is the only way to flash the stock rom and do it all over again?

 

[doogald]

Ok, a caveat:

- I have a Droid 3, not a Bionic, though the process is similar

That said, I decided to see what would happen if I installed ROM Manager and had it flash recovery.

As you say, I discovered there is no option to remove recovery. That's annoying.

Ok, that said: I restarted the phone and started recovery, and found that the stock recovery was still installed. I don't think that ROM Manager actually flashes a recovery when you do that.

Anyway, after that I did a Safestrap install. Everything worked just fine - after installing Safestrap and telling it to flash recovery, when I restarted, Safestrap was there at the start, with the prompt to press "menu" to start Safestrap or "Search" to continue booting.

So, I am pretty sure that you will be ok with installing Safestrap without having to use RSD Lite to flash an FXZ and restart from scratch.

Good luck...

 

[rveach]

Thank you for replying.
I will try installing Safestrap later after I also make sure the stock recovery still works.I just wanted to make sure what method is the safest to continue so I don't make the phone unusable.

 

[SNeitzel]

Ok, a caveat:

- I have a Droid 3, not a Bionic, though the process is similar

That said, I decided to see what would happen if I installed ROM Manager and had it flash recovery.

As you say, I discovered there is no option to remove recovery. That's annoying.

Ok, that said: I restarted the phone and started recovery, and found that the stock recovery was still installed. I don't think that ROM Manager actually flashes a recovery when you do that.

Anyway, after that I did a Safestrap install. Everything worked just fine - after installing Safestrap and telling it to flash recovery, when I restarted, Safestrap was there at the start, with the prompt to press "menu" to start Safestrap or "Search" to continue booting.

So, I am pretty sure that you will be ok with installing Safestrap without having to use RSD Lite to flash an FXZ and restart from scratch.

Good luck...

From the way I understand it...
With the locked bootloader, flashing a custom recovery is only a one time deal. It doesn't stick permanently which is why ROM manager never worked properly. The safestrap process works so well because it lets the phone boot normally then gives you the option to load a custom recovery early on in the process effectively giving you a custom recovery without actually replacing the stock recovery.

 

[rveach]

Thanks doogald, I can confirm your steps worked and safestrap works.